InvestMacro Forex News

Article by Investazor.com

The best trading hours depend on the currency pair you choose to trade and on the technical strategy you prefer. It is a matter of personal choice between direction-less or choppy markets and highly liquid and directional markets. In order to make good choices about the time period which is best for one strategy or another, we will present you some general lines of best periods for Forex Scalping.

Generally speaking, scalping needs high volatility, but there are also trading strategies that work on low volatility instruments.

All time periods mentioned in this article are EST (New York Time).

In order to use strategies that need high level of volatility, you need to find the best moments on each exchange. This means that Euro, Britain’s Pound and Swiss Franc have high volatility when they are traded on London exchange. And the best moments of the day are particularly: 03:00 AM – 05:00 AM and 08:00 AM – 10:00 AM.

These two hours periods there show specific micro-trends caused by numerous market events and news releases appearing. These intervals are best to be exploited by scalpers because of the rapidly changing conditions and positions that can be used in order to maintain rapid openings and closings that become profitable. As an advice, it would be good to take profit of all strong trends also and exploit it as full capacity.

Moreover, the Australian Dollar, New Zealand’s Dollar and the Japanese Yen have high volatility when they are traded on Tokyo and Sidney exchange. Best times of the day: 07:00 PM – 11:00 PM.

It is advisable to go for small quick trades made successively and to avoid building up positions in order to have the best results.

The Canadian Dollar has high volatility when traded on New York’s exchange. Best times: 08:00 AM – 12:30 AM.

If you are wondering why the American Dollar was not mentioned, let me tell you that it can be traded in pair with the other currencies; its volatility being higher only when indicators of the US economy are published or when it is bought as safe heaven.

Also, important moments of high volatility are those when the macro-economic indicators are published for the each currency. Of course, it is important to know that high volatility is also present when macro-economic indicators with high impact on the previously mentioned currencies are published.

However, if you prefer strategies that use low level of volatility and side-way moves in the market, you definitely have to eliminate the time frames mentioned above. Low volatility can be generally found in all currency pairs, except during the moments of the day we previously mentioned.

Of course, the transaction’s duration should not be influenced by the things mentioned in this article. Each scalper will know for how long to maintain each entry, always taking into account the money management and risk management and being in accordance with the strategy preferred.

Previous << Advanced Forex Scalping Bollinger Strategy <<

The post What Are the Recommended Trading Hours for Scalping ? appeared first on investazor.com.

London Gold Market Report
from Adrian Ash
BullionVault
Mon 16 Sept 08:25 EST

The PRICE of gold fell hard Monday morning, retreating near Friday’s 5-week lows after earlier spiking to $1336 per ounce in Asian hours despite wholesale dealers reporting lacklustre trade.

Former US Treasury secretary Larry Summers last night withdrew from being considered for the role of US Federal Reserve chief, citing strong political opposition.

That leaves current vice-chair and noted advocate of low interest rates Janet Yellen the likely successor to Ben Bernanke next February.

 World stock markets rose Monday, while the US Dollar dropped half-a-cent to the Euro and sank to fresh 8-month lows vs. the Pound.

 That drove gold for UK investors down to £822.75 per ounce – the lowest level since 7 July, and more than 7% beneath Monday morning last week.

 “We had thought,” says Standard Bank’s chief FX strategist Steven Barrow, “that political risks surrounding Syria and the Fed chair nomination shifted the balance of probability towards bond tapering in December, not September.

 “But now that these risks have been lifted it seems most likely that the Fed will taper this week.”

 “Given the damage done last week to the gold price,” says a note from analysts at US investment bank Morgan Stanley, “only a complete delay in tapering would likely bring gold back to its late August peak.”

 New data released Friday showed speculative traders in US gold futures and options slashing their net bullish position last week at the fastest pace since June’s gold price crash.

 Shrinking by 14% from a week before, the “net long” position of non-industry players’ bullish minus bearish bets as a group dropped to 381 tonnes by last Tuesday.

 Now the smallest “net spec long” since mid-August, last week’s position was still almost 3 times greater than early July’s 14-year low.

 “Investors appear to be exiting long positions in anticipation of a possible fall in precious metals prices around [this Wednesday’s] Fed meeting,” says Jonathan Butler at Japanese trading and investment company Mitsubishi Corporation.

 But “at the same time, there appears to be only limited new short position taking, suggesting investors remain unconvinced of the potential for significant downside from here.”

 Looking at Friday’s late rally in gold, commodity analysts at Commerzbank in Frankfurt reckon “[it] is likely to have been triggered initially by money managers who closed short positions just before the weekend.”

 But “the change in US monetary policy,” says German precious metals refining group Heraeus in its Weekly Update, “is likely to continue weighing…in the coming year.”

 Silver prices also fell Monday morning, dropping to $21.74 per ounce and nearing Friday’s 1-month lows.

 “Despite [silver’s] low price level” last week, says refiner Heraeus, “industrial consumers reacted cautiously.

 “On the contrary, when silver temporarily recovered, we observed an increase in sales of scrap metal.”

 Base metals held steady on Monday morning, but broad commodity indices dropped 0.8% as crude oil fell hard to new 4-week lows.

 “I see Syria fading as a factor that’s moving oil markets,” Bloomberg quotes head of consulting Robin Mills at Manaar Energy Consulting & Project Management in Dubai. “It become evident there was no attack imminent.”

 Longer-term analysis by Societe Generale’s natural resources team today says that “Commodities should trade mainly on their respective fundamentals,” pointing to what they call “a regime change” in what’s driving prices.

 “The ongoing normalisation of the global financial system after the 2008 meltdown,” write SocGen’s team, means that “the proportion of price variability explained by [supply and demand] has approached – or even surpassed – the proportion explained prior to Lehman.”

 “The temporary sparkle that we had seen because of Syria is disappearing,” says $3bn asset manager Donald Selkin at National Securities Corp. in New York.

 “The market is trying to find a price for gold in an environment where the Fed begins cutting back its assistance.”

Adrian Ash

BullionVault

Gold price chart, no delay | Buy gold online

Adrian Ash is head of research at BullionVault, the secure, low-cost gold and silver market for private investors online, where you can buy gold and silver in Zurich or Singapore for just 0.5% commission.

(c) BullionVault 2013

Please Note: This article is to inform your thinking, not lead it. Only you can decide the best place for your money, and any decision you make will put your money at risk. Information or data included here may have already been overtaken by events – and must be verified elsewhere – should you choose to act on it.

By HY Markets Forex Blog

The European Stocks Market began the trading week in green after the former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers pulled-out as a candidate for chairman of the Federal Reserve.

European Stocks saw gains on Monday, assisted by the news that the former US Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers withdrew as a candidate to become the next Federal Reserve (Fed) chairman. Meanwhile, investors are focusing on the next central bank’s policy meeting on September 17-18.

The European Euro Stoxx 50 rose 0.82% higher to 2,893.02 at the market open, while the German DAX advanced by 1.19% to 8,611.59. The French CAC 40 edged 0.86% higher to 4,148.81 and the UK’s FTSE 100 gained 1.04% to 6,652.52.

Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers was considered as one of the leading candidates to become the next Federal Reserve (Fed) Chairman and was against the central bank’s asset-purchasing program. Current Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is expected to step down in four months.

“Any possible confirmation process for me would be acrimonious and would not serve the interests of the Fed, the administration, or ultimately, the interests of the nation’s ongoing recovery,” Larry Summers wrote in a letter to US President Barack Obama.

With the next Fed meeting in the spotlight, investors looking forward to the next meeting scheduled for 17-18, to get more clues as to whether the central bank would maintain its $85 billion monthly bond-buying program.

The US and Russia have made progress with the discussion about the situation in Syria and are preparing a framework document about Syria’s chemical weapons. Syria is expected to provide further detailed information about its stockpiles within a week and the weapons have to be removed by mid-2014.

European Stocks – Economic News

The Consumer price index for eurozone is expected to be released later in the day, which is expected to show that inflation rose by 0.1% in August on a monthly basis.

Meanwhile, in Italy, the trade balance for the country is expected to show a surplus of €4.13 billion in July, up from June’s record of €3.62 billion reached in June.

To find out more on our product offerings, visit www.hymarkets.com and start trading today with only $50!

The post European Stocks In Green After Summer Withdraws appeared first on | HY Markets Official blog.

Article provided by HY Markets Forex Blog

By HY Markets Forex Blog

Crude Prices started the week trading lower with the WTI crude oil dropping for a second day. Meanwhile, the supply worries eased following the progressive outcome of the US-Russia talks regarding the situation in Syria. The low crude prices was dragged by the tensions over this week’s Federal Reserve meeting, scheduled for September 17- 18.

The West Texas Intermediate October deliveries dropped 1.03% lower to $107.10 a barrel at the time of writing on New York’s Nymex, after the sharp drop last week. Meanwhile the European benchmark, Brent Crude saw a massive drop by 1.94% lower to $110.60 a barrel in London, dropping to a three-week low.

The continuous loss in crude prices is due to the worries over the Syrian tension and the forthcoming Federal Reserve meeting scheduled to begin on Tuesday. Earlier today, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers announced that he withdrew as a candidate for chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Summers sudden announcement dragged the greenback down against the world’s major currencies, declining 0.41% lower to 81.1210 at the time of writing.

Crude Prices – Syria

Last week the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met up to discuss the situation in Syria and agreed to support the nine-month United Nations programs to eliminate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical weapons.

Washington has agreed to call-off any military action against Syria, which have eased tensions in the country and region. According to reports from the US Energy Information Administration, the Middle East account for almost 35% of the global oil output in this year’s first quarter.

Crude Prices – Asia

Energy Ministers in Asia remained divided between exporters after a meeting in Seoul, as importers are still looking for additional supplies to help reduce the rising fuel prices that’s affecting the economies.

Visit www.hymarkets.com  today and find out more on how you can how you can trade Energy products with only $50 

The post Crude Prices Begins Week Low As Syria Tension Eases appeared first on | HY Markets Official blog.

Article provided by HY Markets Forex Blog

Markets gapped against the USD on Sunday, away from Friday’s close price. We can see higher prices on EURUSD, US bonds and also US stocks futures after Lawrence Summers withdrew from the contest to succeed Ben Bernanke as the next chairman of the Federal Reserve. We have also seen a gap down on Crude Oil Futures after the U.S. and Russia have agreed on a framework for Syria to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile by the middle of 2014, as by media on Saturday.

Below we can see a gap up on EURUSD, where we expected a move higher into wave C after recent correction in B wave. Keep in mind that gaps usually get filled and that we also have only a three wave rise from monthly lows so bearish reversal could follow in this week. Technical resistance comes in at 1.3380-1.3400.
EURUSD 1h Elliott Wave Analysis

While EURUSD and US Bonds gapped higher the USDJPY moved to the downside and finally reached levels around 98.50 that we highlighted several times last week. However we need five wave move in wave (c) for a valid and completed expanded flat correction. As such, we are not tracking an ending diagonal in wave (c) that may complete the pattern around 98.00 area with a sub.-wave v). We also see a 61.8% in that zone which could be very interesting for buyers.
USDJPY 1h Elliott Wave Analysis

Written by www.ew-forecast.com | Try EW-Forecast.com’s Services Free For 7 Dayas at http://www.ew-forecast.com/service

By WallStreetDaily.com

It’s time to pick up right where we left off last week with the “High Priest of Stats” – Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices.

(If you missed the first half of our interview, be sure to check it out here.)

Rest assured, we’ve saved his most important insights for last, including:

• Four major uncertainties that investors aren’t taking into consideration yet.

• The one thing that’s never been done by a single stock in the S&P 500 Index since its launch in 1923. (One company is getting awfully close to pulling off the feat, though. So you’ll want to add it to your watch list.)

• Statistical proof why Steve Ballmer is laughing (all the way to the bank), despite a lackluster track record at the helm of Microsoft (MSFT).

• Apple’s (AAPL) latest $16-billion move that lifted the entire S&P 500 Index.

• And why stock buybacks aren’t always a bullish indicator. (Hint: We need to look beyond the headline number for another key stat to make the determination.)

To hear it all for yourself, simply click on the image below. Or you can read the transcript here.

Ahead of the tape,

Louis Basenese

The post Keynote Speaker Series: Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst At S&P Dow Jones Indices (Part 2) appeared first on Wall Street Daily.

Article By WallStreetDaily.com

Original Article: Keynote Speaker Series: Howard Silverblatt, Senior Index Analyst At S&P Dow Jones Indices (Part 2)

By MoneyMorning.com.au

This week I’m in Dubai. And over the next four days I’m going to keep you updated about what’s happening at the world’s biggest Financial Services conference, SIBOS.

It’s ironic that this particular conference is happening in Dubai. It’s an interesting place for a global financial gathering. Of all the places that best signify everything that’s wrong with the global financial system, it’s here.

Even just getting the bus from the airport lets you see the state of this boom and bust city. On one hand there are these magnificent buildings. Skyscrapers made up of obtuse angles and shimmering glass.

They are architecturally compelling, but they are dotted about with no real thought. And further to that every second building has a ‘for lease’ sign on the side of it. The windows on closer inspection are all filthy, and the 40, 50, or 60 floors of prime real estate…are empty.

There are building sites which resemble piles of rubble. On one site we passed there were two men standing on top of concrete debris in 40-degree heat. They were simply spraying water on the heap.

Why? Who knows; it seemed pointless. But you could clearly see these workers were simply doing a job. They wouldn’t be getting paid much, but it more than likely helped feed their families. And when you really look you can see there are many more of these kinds of workers around Dubai than perhaps the UAE would like you to know.

And then there’s the flip side of the coin. Within a minute of checking in to the hotel, a bright red Ferrari California rolled up. The car alone is worth about $529,000, but the glistening diamond Rolex on the wrist of the UAE national was most likely worth as much.

After settling in I headed to the Dubai Mall. I was in need of some swimming shorts (necessary with average temperatures in the 40′s). And just walking around the mall I noticed two things.

One, every time I walked past Louis Vuitton, Channel, Rolex and IWC the shop was full. Two, the car park is full of Range Rovers, Mercedes, Ferraris and just about any car worth more than six figures.

You see there is still silly wealth here. It’s on a scale most of us will never really comprehend. And considering the enormous peak and crash that Dubai experienced through the GFC it’s unbelievable to see the reckless abandonment some people here have with money.

But enough of the cultural observations for now. I’m here to do a job. And that’s to get amongst the ins and outs of SIBOS.

I’ll be doing daily wraps, and a video summary of the event at the culmination of it all. But what is SIBOS and why am I here?

SIBOS is an annual conference, exhibition and networking event organised by SWIFT for the global financial industry. In just one-week, over 7,000 decision makers and experts from financial institutions, multinational corporations, and technology innovators gather in one place.

And it’s here they do business and collectively shape the future of payments, securities, cash management and trade. And one of the key themes from SIBOS 2013 is ‘The Future of Money’.

In the August issue of Revolutionary Tech Investor we explained that the future of money is changing. It’s changing at a rapid pace. The way in which we transact, manage and use our money is changing. Even the concept of money itself will be different than what it is today.

The future of money is an important theme for everyone to take note. It affects everything that we’ve come to know about the world of finance, banking and global economies.

Of course we have our own ideas as to what this might look like. But we also will be hearing from those in the finance and economics world about their vision of the future of money.

With a full diary for over the conference it’ll take too long to reel off all the presenters I’ll see. Some include, Patrick Murch (The Bitcoin Foundation), Rich Bolstridge (Chief Strategist, Akamai Technologies), Manu Sporny (CEO, Digital Bazaar) and Matthew Gordon (Forward Deployed Engineer, Palantir).

Already from the session descriptions, it’s clear to see the hot topic is how money will work in the digital future. There’s no doubt about it. And what I hope to uncover is exactly what that future might be and how it’s going to impact you.

It could all be leading towards a shift so dramatic that the very foundations of global banking come crumbling down…again. We might be on the edge of a new world order in financial systems.

It might mean that the avenue to financial freedom is about the code you control, the algorithms you use and the anonymity with which you store your digital wealth.

Whichever way the world economy pans out it’s events like SIBOS that will help to shape what it looks like. So check your inbox each day for what’s going on at SIBOS.

Sam Volkering+
Technology Analyst, Revolutionary Tech Investor

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From the Archives…

How to Play a Rising Stock Market With Exchange Traded Options
6-09-2013 – Kris Sayce

Buy-up-to Prices: Why The Secret to Selling Stocks is in the Buying…
5-09-2013 – Kris Sayce

Global Stock Markets, Big Tops and Casinos
4-09-2013 – Greg Canavan

Stop Orders: How to Make The Job of Selling Stocks Easier…
3-09-2013 – Kris Sayce

Bankers Profit at the Expense of the Broader Community
2-09-2013 – Vern Gowdie

By MoneyMorning.com.au

‘U.S. stocks rose, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average capping its best week since January, as disappointing economic data fueled bets that any Federal Reserve stimulus cuts this month would be moderate.‘ – Bloomberg News

The old ‘bad news is good news’ trade is back on.

You know the story. If the economic data is bad it means the US Federal Reserve is less likely to ‘taper’ its bond-buying program, and that’s good news for stock prices.

But wait a minute. Who says ‘tapering’ is bad news for the markets? It seems investors may not be too troubled by it at all. In another report by Bloomberg News:

‘An anticipated reduction in stimulus by the Federal Reserve that has roiled the financial markets for months will be seen as no big deal if it goes ahead next week, according to a Bloomberg Global Poll of investors.‘

For all its faults, is it possible the Federal Reserve is doing something few thought possible — successfully weaning the market off stimulus?

Ever since the Federal Reserve cut interest rates to near zero in December 2008 and shortly thereafter began buying government bonds as part of its money printing program, many wondered how the Fed could ever withdraw from the market without causing stocks to crash.

The market had become addicted to stimulus.

You’ve seen QE1, QE2, Operation Twist, and QE3. As one stimulus program ended the market rally stalled, and so the Federal Reserve had to start another.

That trend changed with QE3, which some also dubbed ‘QE Infinity’ due to the open-ended nature of the program.

So, what do we make of it? According to the Bloomberg survey, 73% of respondents say the Fed will begin ‘tapering’ this year. But if ‘tapering’ is such bad news for the market why are US stocks at a record high and why has the Australian market hit a new five-year high today?

Brushing Aside ‘Tapering’

You can see on the chart below that since stocks bottomed out on 26 June the Aussie market (blue line) has doubled the return of the US S&P 500 index:

Click to enlarge
Source: Google Finance

Stock markets are in an interesting position right now. Theoretically, stock prices reflect future events. In other words, investors are saying that they know the Fed will begin ‘tapering’ its bond buying, but that it won’t have a negative impact on stocks.

If investors thought ‘tapering’ would be bad news for stocks then you would likely see stock prices fall on even the suspicion of ‘tapering’.

This is all so different to just a few months ago in May when world stock markets tumbled on the very idea that the Federal Reserve would slow down its bond buying. If you recall, bond yields soared from record low levels and many thought there could be a repeat of the 2008 stock market crash.

But now with exactly the same talk doing the rounds, investors seem to be brushing those concerns aside. What can explain it?

The optimist in us would like to think it’s simply because the Fed isn’t needed anymore. We’d like to think that economies worldwide are moving towards being able to stand on their own feet without central bank intervention.

We try to look on the bright side whenever possible.

However, we’re not quite so naïve to believe that’s what the market really thinks.

Beware the ‘Fool’s Rally’

What’s more likely is that investors know that even if the Federal Reserve starts ‘tapering’ its bond buying program this year, it will crank up the bond buying again if the market needs more stimulus.

In other words, investors rightly believe that the Fed will always be ready to provide an emergency dose of liquidity into the market in the event of poor economic data.

That’s the real nature of ‘QE Infinity’. It’s the same tactic the Bank of Japan (BoJ) has used for more than 20 years. This isn’t so much the market weaning itself off central bank stimulus, instead it’s about the stimulus becoming more ingrained into the market.

That’s the ultimate goal. The Federal Reserve would like its stimulus attempts to be just as readily acceptable to the US market as the BoJ’s are to the Japanese market.

When the BoJ stimulates it makes an announcement, the yen weakens and Japanese stocks take off. Sometimes the effect lasts longer than other times. After over 20 years of doing this it’s second nature. No one names the BoJ’s stimulus efforts QE1 or QE2. Heck, if they did they would be up to QE30+ by now.

There is a cautionary tale in this. You shouldn’t assume this means that stocks will go up forever. At some point investors will look far enough ahead and decide that any potential stimulus isn’t enough to support stocks at the prevailing high prices. That’s when you could see the market take a big fall.

When will that happen? Well, if the market really is prepared to brush off the first stage of ‘tapering’, then it may not be for a while yet. But don’t believe everything the market tells you. It has a habit of making you think one thing only to quickly change direction and do the exact opposite.

Even though we’re still bullish on stocks, we advise buying with caution. There’s still a chance this is a ‘fool’s rally’ sucking in unsuspecting investors right at the top of the market.

Cheers,

Kris+

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From the Port Phillip Publishing Library

Special Report: Are You Waiting for a Real Estate Crash That Isn’t Going to Come?

Daily Reckoning: Did a Bear Raid Hit the Gold Market?

Money Morning: Money Weekend’s Technology FutureWatch 14 September 2013

Pursuit of Happiness: This Baby Boomer’s Advice is Worth Listening to…

By MoneyMorning.com.au

Don’t look now but Australian housing is attracting a whole lot of attention. Prices are on the up. Is the RBA rate cuts stoking the heat, or is property bull Phil Anderson right that there’s an even larger cycle at work?

From a conventional viewpoint, you have to finger the RBA. The Wall Street Journal pointed out on Monday that the central bank has cut the cash rate eight times since November 2011. The cash rate now sits at a record low.

If you read Money Morning regularly, you’ll know Kris Sayce thinks low interest rates will keep driving investors into the stock market, especially dividend paying shares. So far, that’s proved a winning call.

But there’s pretty good evidence it’s juicing the property market too. That might be the first danger…

Keeping an Eye on the Banks

Take this from the Wall Street Journal:

‘Monday’s loan data fueled concern that gains are being driven by speculative investors rather than signaling underlying strength in the housing market, after new loans to investors surged almost 26% in July from a year earlier, the steepest gain since 2007. The value of loans to owner occupiers rose by a much smaller 13%.’

It’s interesting to note that one of the reasons real estate guru Phil Anderson is bullish on property is his central belief that regardless of what legislation is thrown at it, the banking industry will keep finding ways to shovel credit out for people to buy houses.

The folks at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) seem to have something like that on their mind, too. They came out this week and warned the banks off dropping their standards and increasing their risky lending in the hunt for more mortgage business.

This chart might have something to do with it.

click to enlarge

As you can see in the chart above from The Australian,’despite refinancing and investors driving the market, credit growth is historically low.‘

In other words, slow credit growth is a threat to earnings the banks make from lending. They’re not going to like that.

APRA is worried that the lure of low interest rates will bring in borrowers who can’t cope if rates rise. Add to that the worry banks might only be too happy to take their business now.

APRA’s latest report already notes a weakness in the system. The number of loans being issued with a loan-to-value ratio above 90% has been rising over the last three years. The Australian Financial Review pointed out some countries don’t even allow loans above 80%.

Loans to poor old first home buyers are currently on the slide, down from 15.1% to 14.7% of market share. But who cares about them when there’s Australia’s juicy superannuation funds to target?

Beware This Dodgy Investment Idea

The Australian Financial Review reported on the latest ruse to attract investors to the property market: ‘luxury international holidays are being offered to investors who take out a mortgage and buy a house using a self managed superannuation funds…many financial advisors are being offered incentives to put their clients in SMSF property investments.‘

An overseas holiday sounds great, but there’s a few problems with this idea…

So we asked our family wealth expert Vern Gowdie, who has nearly thirty years in the industry, to give us his take for you:

‘Seriously how dumb are people?

‘With this type of blatant abuse of the system it is little wonder the SMSF sector comes under such intense scrutiny by the ATO. A few bad apples spoil it for those who use SMSFs for the right reasons, i.e. a tax effective savings vehicle invested prudently to eventually provide a retirement income.

‘Before dealing with what really irks me, let’s put to one side the following issues:

1.         Should you even be establishing a SMSF to buy a single asset?
2.         Are investors (who are naïve enough to believe you can have the best of both worlds) even remotely aware of the do’s and don’ts with non-recourse loans in a SMSF?
3.         The annual costs of establishing and running the SMSF

‘And I could go on and on.

‘No, what really makes my blood boil is the fact the promoters actually have the temerity to promote a “too good to be true” offer. Have a “free” international holiday and at the same time get one up on the taxman.

‘There is no such thing as a “free” anything in the financial world. Do you really think the promoters, out of the kindness of their hearts and the depths of their pockets, will pay for you to swan around overseas? If you do please contact me as I have a bridge in Sydney and possibly an Opera House to sell you.

‘What sort of kickback from the property sale is in it for them? Are their SMSF establishment and annual fees competitive? What brokerage is built into the non-recourse mortgage?

‘As always ‘caveat emptor’ should be your guiding principle. Failing that remember,
if it smells like s…, looks like s…, tastes like s… then there is a really good chance it is s….

‘I sincerely hope ASIC and the ATO come down like a ton of bricks on the promoters of these ‘edge of the envelope’ abuses.‘

If you wanted to avoid traps like these, it might pay to check out Vern’s service. All you need to do is click here.

Callum Newman+
Editor, Money Weekend

From the Port Phillip Publishing Library

Join Money Morning on Google+

Special Report: Are You Waiting for a Real Estate Crash That Isn’t Going to Come?

By MoneyMorning.com.au

Technology:
The Worst Apple Launch Since 1983

It would be remiss of us to not cover the much-hyped but little-anticipated Apple event this week. It’s more than likely you’ve heard about the not-so-exciting release of the Apple iPhone 5S and 5C.

The most innovative thing Apple has in the ‘all-new’ 5S is a fingerprint scanner. You can read more about why this is a disaster in ‘Why Apple is Doomed’.  But importantly, everyone at Google, Microsoft, Samsung — even Blackberry — must be sniggering on the sidelines. And here at FutureWatch we’re calling this the worst Apple launch since the Lisa in 1983.

In a nutshell, this new update by Apple is an unmitigated disaster. It could be the beginning of the end of Apple

A verbal exchange between your FutureWatch editor and his significant other exemplified how Apple is going…

Sam: ‘Apple just released a new iPhone, it’s the 5C.’

Hayley: ‘And…’

Sam: ‘It’s pretty much a tricked out iPhone 4S or a poor-mans iPhone 5. But it comes in different colours.’

Hayley: ‘If I wanted an iPhone in different colours wouldn’t I just buy a phone cover for my current iPhone instead of a new one?’

Sam: ‘Good point.’

And that’s pretty much sums up where Apple is at. They pumped up a ‘cheap’ iPhone with different colours as its major selling points. But at well over $700 there’s nothing cheap about it.

If Apple was trying to win back market share, they’ve failed. You will see droves of smartphone users migrate to Samsung from this one.

Right now the smartphone market is going through a significant change. With Nokia devices now owned by Microsoft, that’s one big player down. Blackberry has been teetering on the edge of extinction for a while and looks to be going private again.

HTC is battling beyond belief due to the fact that their products just aren’t that good. And now it seems Apple’s phone business could be on its deathbed too.

Wearable tech is gaining momentum. Watches, glasses, bands and trackers are all part of the shifting landscape. And we continue to connect to our surroundings through technology.

Maybe the mobile phone, the smartphone, is en-route to extinction?

We’ll always need to contact each other, so the phone in its most basic sense will always exist. But instead of a thin rectangle that sits in your pocket, soon the functionality of a smartphone will simply exist on our person. It will be completely immersive technology.

Energy:
Die Zukunft liegt in Elektro-Autos

The Frankfurt Motor Show has been on all week. It’s one of the biggest car shows in the world. And being in Germany it’s fair to say ‘Ze Germans’ are always keen to put on a cracking hometown show.

That’s why the likes of Mercedes, Audi, BMW and Volkswagen pull out the big guns when it comes to their major announcements.

And there’s no doubt this year is following a continuing trend of the ‘Decade of Electric Vehicle (EV)’. It’s EV heaven in Frankfurt this year. And it’s the aforementioned companies leading the charge.

You get the feeling they might have been spooked by Tesla’s recent run of success with the Model S. Tesla has aimed straight at the Big Four German carmakers and it’s bang on target.

Tesla’s Model S is a luxury car with all the bells and whistles you’d expect in a six-figure car. It’s also chalking up sales with estimates of 12,050 Model S sold year to date. To give some comparison, the Chevy Volt, which is the highest selling EV, has sold 14,994 cars year to date. Consider that the Volt is half the price of the Model S. Now you get a gauge on the success of Tesla so far.

What’s worth noting is the Big Four Germans are still yet (except for BMW’s i3 just recently) to bring a proper EV to the mass market. But now they’re warming up to the fact that EVs are the future of cars.

In Frankfurt Volkswagen has on display their ‘e-Golf’ and ‘e-Up’. Audi have their ‘A3 e-tron’ up and about. Fiat has the 500E. BMW of course has the i3 and now the i8 (although the i8 is technically a hybrid). And speaking of hybrids, Porsche has the 918 Spyder Hybrid supercar.

The point to all this is every carmaker in the world is on the EV bandwagon. And what this means is the future is rosy not just for the EV makers, but also for the whole supply chain.

You see the real potential is in the supply chain technology companies. There will be an increase in demand for lithium ion batteries, composite materials and rare earth metals. And the good thing is with the right kind of breakthrough companies there are opportunities to cash in on the ‘Decade of EV’. 

Health:
If Only Apple Had Come Up With the Eye-Phone

When you combine medical practice with technology you can get some truly amazing outcomes. We’ve covered many in FutureWatch, and the good news is there will be an endless supply of more.

As microchips get smaller, more powerful and faster we will be able to fuse technology with our lives on a level unheard of. And as great minds come together, collaborate and create we will see more software and hardware designed to help those in need.

And a new piece of hardware designed by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is the next in a long line of humanitarian innovations.

The ‘Eye-phone’ is a smartphone with a lens to scan the retina and record the data. It’s thousands of dollars cheaper than normal ophthalmic equipment and easy to use.

As reported by Discovery News, the inventor, Dr. Andrew Bastawrous said of the need for the device in Kenya, ‘For a country with a population of more than 40 million, there are only 86 qualified eye doctors, 43 of whom are operating in the capital Nairobi.’

The difficulty exists for those that don’t live in Nairobi and who can’t get to see eye doctors. Often they simply live with their conditions, unable to receive the proper treatment or ongoing care. And village doctors simply cannot afford the required equipment.

But this new solution brings hope not just to those in Kenya, but across the world. The World Health Organization estimate 285 million people are visually impaired, with 75% of those affected by refractive errors and cataracts. This means these people often cannot work, farm, or even sustain a normal lifestyle.

Innovations like the ‘eye-phone’ in the hands of regional and rural doctors around the world will help put a big dent in those numbers. And if even just a small percentage of those receive the right treatment, or preventative treatment, it will have a huge impact on communities around the world.

Sam Volkering+
Technology Analyst, Revolutionary Tech Investor

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